Monday, Jun 06, 2016

Prayer Card Wall Art

In Loving Memory of

May 31st was a sad day for the Podorsky family as it was the one-year anniversary of the passing of my dear Mother-in-law. Shortly after her death, my sisters-in-law and I began the emotional task of helping my father-in-law go through her belongings. Being of Polish descent she was raised in a traditional Catholic faith and had many religious statues, relics and prayer cards. In fact, every purse we went through had dozens of such mementos which we divided up among our families.

I kept my stack of prayer cards in a box and once in awhile pulled them out to admire the artwork or to recite a prayer found on the back of each card. I recently decided to display the cards for others to admire by creating a collage wall plaque. I also included in my wall art a medal and crucifix (from a broken rosary) that belonged to my mother-in-law to give the piece some nice dimension and additional meaning.

Below are step-by-step instructions on how I created this very special piece.

I first selected the prayer cards I wanted to use for my wall art. I cut some of them out to create diverse shapes and laid them out in a square configuration.

I decided the cards I wanted to use would work best on a 7 X 7 piece of wood and had my handy father cut a board for me with his skill saw. He sanded the sides and slightly rounded the corners as well.

Next, I painted the board with a metallic gold paint. If you'd rather not use paint, you can choose a lovely colored paper (solid, or patterned) from Cut Card Stock to coordinate with the paper images you're working with. They actually have a sale right now on their Pop Tones Papers. I always use their Kraft Chipboard as my go-to behind-the-scene paper in my projects. I used it underneath my wood while painting and adding the resin in a later step.

After the paint was dry, I attached my cards with Cut Card Stock Micro Glue Dots. These are the perfect size for affixing small items and intricate shapes.

Ultimately, the resin will permanently hold all of the pieces, so the glue dots are just

for holding in place while the resin is being poured.

Next, I mixed and poured the resign as per instructions on the package. There are a few different brands available at craft stores and home improvement stores. Be sure to use disposable items for mixing and spreading as they cannot be re-used once the resin hardens. Be sure to raise the plaque with small wooden blocks so it won't adhere to the paper once dried.

I used a foam brush to gently spread the resin over the top and sides of the plaque after it was poured.

Let dry for 24 hours (or longer if you live in a humid client like LOUISIANA)!

To make the back as pretty as the front, I cut some gorgeous Italian Rosso paper I had on hand just smaller than the size of the plaque and spray glued to the wood. Cut Card Stock also has some lovely Patterned Papers available in smaller sheet sizes. I'll post my favorite at the bottom of this blog. Because this was created using my mother-in-law's prayer cards I wanted to incorporate one which was handed out at her funeral on the back. I glued it in place with Micro Glue Dots. I then added the metal hanger and some White Organza Ribbon to tie from the hanger, and Voile'! A beautiful and meaningful piece of original art!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post. I hope it has inspired you to honor a loved one through wall art, or to simply create something beautiful in honor of yourself!!!!

I'd love to hear from you about your wall plaque collage! Let me know what paper items you used and even better, send me a photo of how it turned out!!!! I would love to feature YOUR photos on my blog at: Kathryn's Collective